appearance: poured into a bells tulip glass not knowing at the time if this was the oatmeal stout or the barleywine of the scratch series...as it turns out the murky mahogany-garnet body was that of a barleywine. a creamy beige cap tops this one off. lovely

smell: nice and floral, raspberry, plum and other dark fruits, caramel malts, raisins and figs...not too potent but very nice

Bottle via trade thanks to JohnGalt1. Yeah Harrisburg! This is the same thing as The Flying Mouflan I'm told, but it was so different than fresh Mouflan that it definitely merits a separate review IMO.

Pours clear dark brown with a nicely formed light tan head sitting on top.

Aroma is really excellent and complex. Dark fruits and sweet caramel malt dominate, along with sherry and faded citrusy hops.

Sweet caramel malts and toffee form the base on this one. Another reviewer mentioned creme caramel, and I get some of that too. This is a little like a decadent dessert in a way. Nuts, raisins, dates, and figs as well. Sherry-like oxidative notes are present at the exact level you would want them to be. Still some citrusy resiny hops in there that add even more complexity.

Smooth and medium-full on the palate with an ever so slight syrupiness and a finish that really sticks with you.

Pretty drinkable stuff. Just an amazing barleywine overall after ~3 years. I have a bottle of Flying Mouflan in the cellar right now, and it's a good beer fresh, but DAMN this ages well, sort of like the exact opposite of the woman most of us married/will marry. Think I'll sit on that til 2012 or so, maybe drink the day before the world's supposed to end or something. It would be a great last beer.

Pours a deep, dark reddish brown with a thick tannish head that left fantastic lacing. Aroma is pure hops up your nose with a faint hint of sweetness and alcohol buried in the back somewhere.

The taste is unreal. Strong, pungent hops and citrus that melds nicely into a powerfully chewey but still silky smooth malt backbone. The hops linger with a little bitterness the whole way through. Drinkability is off the charts for a nearly 10% Barleywine and fondly reminded me of a slightly beefier version of some of the West Coast Double IPAs I've had.

Troegs has outdone themselves with this Scratch releases. I'd love to see them attempt to get this guy out as a limited edition every year. Big thumbs up!

A 12 oz bottle from one of the last cases of Scratch 4 sold (thanks to ksak for taking the boys on a brewery trip to grab the case).

A: The barleywine is a deep red brew, looking like brown creekwater with some brighter red notes at the base of the glass. The head has left a small band of slow-drying lace around the mouth of the glass.

S: The nose is a delicious blend of citrusy and piney hops. The nose only faintly betrays the malty presence. This is a hop lovers dream.

T: The beer reveals an immense depth of flavor from the very first sip. Thick malts pile on dry, slightly tart malt flavors, including green grape and grape nuts. The maltiness is strong enough to take on a Belgian-like flavor, with dark alefruits buoying the grains. Interspersed with the malts is a ginormous hop bill. Citrus notes abound, thick grapefruit and pineapple, sticky pine (not citrus but it is there), bitter orange peel, all swirl together to create one hell of a taste. The finish nicely mixes the hops and malt, leaving a thick taste long after the sip is gone.

M: The hops, oh how the hops tickle me! The bitterness betrays hints of the alcohol, but not so much that it diminishes the enjoyment. To quote Yo Gabba Gabba, that was awesome!

D: This is the best of the Scratch series to date, it may even be the best beer in the Tröegs stable. I really look forward to revisiting this beer regularly as I work my way through the case.

A murky dark brown body pours thick out of the bottle settling into the glass. A two finger spice toned deep brown head is created. Nose is a nice musky mix of sweet hops and creamy qhelonic spices that include molases, cinnamon, pepper and pine wood. A dark spicey richness floods the taste buds with first sip. Unique and complex feel with burnt malt is there but not in a bad way. A lengthy bitter feel is wraped in dark fruit notes and hints of dark chocolate. Spiceness of this beer really swarms the taste buds but it is nicely balanced. Very biscuity also. Big and hearty beer as well as the mouthfeel it creates. Drinkability is slightly edgey due to the spiceyness.

Smells thick.. alot of hops.. mainly citrus with touches of floral... also more than enough caramel malts... but mainly the powerful hops.

Flavor is very smooth.. more malty than expected with still a big resinous hop palate midway through the swallow.. great caramel mixes perfectly into tongue coating oily hoppy goodness... finishes with an unexpected and pleasant yeasty fruitiness... sorta a mix between a kumquat and an overripe green grape... finish on this one is long and very nice.

Mouthfeel is thick with only enough carbonation to make me really want another sip. One of the best "easily" available Barley Wines out there... and better than many where the hype overruns its actual worth.

This is 2nd time I've had this.. the first was at our Boise BW tasting earlier this spring... I know this was one of my favorites.. but my palate was pretty shredded and I was pretty shredded by the end of the night.

Daniel is an excellent trader.. and I honestly wish I had better beers available to me here in Boise so I could tempt him more often. Huge Props to Daniel and Troeg's!!

I was lucky enough to get the chance to try this one last night. Broke it apart from my complete set, because I really just wanted to see how it was holding up, and have been hearing this is now drinking wonderfully. Needless to say that was all I needed to here, and away I went.

Appearance - The pour was very nice, with a deep rich brown tinted amber taking the lead on this one and really putting on a show. Lots of cloudiness and haze, so thick making it almost opaque, but enough light was getting through to showcase the honey brown color of it. A nice two finger high head of white foam formed on the top, and gradually settled down into a thin layer that coated the top of the liquid for the remainder of the session. Very nice residual side glass presentation, overall this was looking like it was going to be a beast.

Smell - The aroma was much more hoppy then I was expecting, but definitely well enough balanced to stay within the style. Rich smells of deep citrus hops, which were coated in sugary malts just whiffed off the top of this one. Some candy like sugar smell way in the back, and earthy tones of grasses and grains. Very complex and sweet. As it warmed, some touches of maple syrup like sweetness were coming out, as was the slightest hint of almost what seemed like a color smell.

Taste - The flavor was really top notch, especially for such a young barley wine. Rich, deep, complex flavor profile that came off like I had been cellaring it for a few years. I was utterly shocked by how good this one was. Extremely well balanced, the first notes to hit were a mellowed and subdued citrus hoppiness. Shadows of how hoppy it must have been at first, this was now just aged perfectly. Lots of sweet hints rolling around throughout it, really showing off how good it could be now. Nice grainy malts making up the base of it, and just this nice sweet fruity vibe running thought-out. As it warmed hints of pears, and apples now becoming intermingled with a candy like sweetness and a really nice touch of warming alcohol. This was what a barley wine should taste like. Nice clean finish, with a touch of bitterness and just enough drying to bring you back for another round.

Mouthfeel - A very nice medium, bordering on full-bodied ale here. The carbonation was decent, but it did tend to lend itself to the syrup like side of things. Really quite nice though with never a thin moment to it.

Drinkability - Outstanding on this one. This was dangerously good. It was so ridiculous smooth that it was impossible not to take bigger and bigger sips as the night went on. I would have loved to have had another one of them right after I finished.

Overall, this was absolutely excellent and easily one of the best, sweeter barley wines I have had. I would have no issues at all recommending this one to anybody who is a fan of the style. By far my favorite of the scratch series to date, I would have to tell them to make this one again.

A: Very hazy/murky orangish brown. Head is a golden/orange. A pretty nice creamy, tight foam.

S: An intense hop and spiciness. A creamy and soft toffee.

T: A pungent hoppy bitterness and a molten brown sugar/caramel toffee kinda thing. Amazed that hops were still present after this long.. Could have only imagined it fresh. Raisiny and hints of vanilla towards the end. Really tasty.

M + D: Slick, oily and a richer body, great aged and a good sipper with good company.

t - sweet orange and citrus up front, some grapefruit, mid-palate has a nice maltiness mixed in with the hops, some dark bread, finish is intensely bitter with little malt, nice alcohol accents letting you know this is a barleywine, citrus notes linger long after swallowing adding some sweetness to the bitterness, very complex

m - medium-bodied, coats the mouth very well, moderate carbonation, finish is quite bitter but the dryness is cut by the citric sweetness, warming from the alcohol

d - this is definitely a sipper barleywine, while the alcohol is not overwhelming in the taste, you can definitely feel the warming effect, pretty good for a big barleywine

One of the best American Barleywines I've had - has everything I like about the style. Very aggressive with the hops, but it still has enough maltiness to balance out the bitterness. Too bad this is just a one-off brew from Troeg's.

I open bottles last year, enjoyed it but felt the anise like taste didn't belong in a barley wine. The hint of anise doesn't seem to be there now. I get toffee, fruit and chocolate. Smooth with a clean finish. This is aging well and the drinkability has increased.

Appearance: Pours an opaque red brown, with a thick creamy tan head. The head fades to a 1cm cap that last for a long time then fades to a solid cap for the duration of the beer. The walls of my glass are lined with lacing.

Smell: Earthy caramel and toffee malts sweet and toasted with a big sprinkling of lively beautiful bitter hops. Citrus and pine with just a touch of booze poking through.

Taste: Dark toasted caramel and pine. It has a rich sweet ripe dark fruit with toffee and an earthy wood that keeps the beer grounded and balanced because the swallow coats the palate again with citrus pokes and prods. The The woody earth bread base on which the very vibrant bitter hops build make this beer truly a masterpiece. The alcohol plays a roll in the flavor but certainly does not overwhelm.

Mouthfeel: It is pleasantly sharp with bitter acidity and warm alcohol but beer never becomes cloying. It has a big sugary element and a big bitterness but in the end it all works well together.

Drinkability: I really can't wait to give this beer some time in the cellar but I am glad I had the chance to have a few pints fresh first. This is simply brilliant!

thanks to DIM for this via trade!
A - dark brown, almost black, with a dark red glow when held up to a light. light tan small head that quickly fades.
S - strong citric hop notes with a dry vinous underlying malt note.
T - like the aroma, this one leads off with a strong citric hops note. Not so strong on the citric as to be oily / grapefruit, rather an intruigingly strong narrow view into the taste. Dry dark malts balance out the brew nicely.
M - full bodied, mildly carbonated, dry finish.
D - highly hopped, nicely approachable perfectly finished. This drinks so nice so young it's incredible.

Acquired via trade from Slatetank, so a big Thank You goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a murky medium brown color, with a thin light brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of brown sugar, dark fruit, caramelized malts and a good amount hops.

T: The taste is sweet and malty up front with flavors of caramel, dark fruit, brown sugar and even a touch of chocolate. There's a strong hops presence that follows and provides a good balance. There's a pretty significant alcohol sting as well. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, strong kick, very good representation of style, this is a good high-octane beer to drink throughout the course of an evening and could be pounded a little bit more than most barleywines that I've had.

S: Sweetest of malts. Vibrant alcohol goes right through the nasal passage and into the brain. With all this, the hops still come through, even with the sugar, even with the time. I have come across several beers that I have thought smelled of dates, nothing quite to this level though.

T: Chocolate and dried fruit. Super sweet like a potent barleywine should be. Intensity is awesome and over the top, love the details. Letting it warm smooths it out and had all the best characteristics of a chocolate sugar cookie.
Like the taste, the taste of liquor soaked dates prepping for a quality fruitcake. Time I am sure did it a favor but did not destroy the hop flavors.

Never before can I remember the taste of mango hops coming through in a barleywine until now. That, my friend, is cratfsmanship. Awesome.

M: Medium to heavy body, the website sums it up well with "sweet burn". Marvelously smooth,creamy and delicate.

D: Another fine edition of the Scratch series that the brothers really would do themselves a favor by at least making a seasonal. Yet to have a Scratch I did not like and all have been even better on tap so I could imagine what wonders this would be like in that form.

taste is good. light alcohol. just under medium bitterness level, likely mellowed with its time in the cellar. big biscuit and multi-grain bread, lightly toasted. grapefruit and orange. hint of pine. bit of pineapple. hints of chocolate and a light nutty character.

drinkability is good. well balanced, good complexity. i think this one might be just past its peak. it's quite good, but i feel like it might have been even better a few months ago. still, i'm enjoying it regardless. good stuff.

Im sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a tulip glass. The beer has been cellared since I bought it 4 years ago.
Pours a deep chestnut with rich ruby highlights. Creamy beige head foams up 2 cm with a gentle pour and fades very slowly leaving some large craters in the foam. Tight lattice shows as the head recedes to a sturdy surface layer.
Aroma is fairly mild but molasses, brown sugar and figs dominate, with no hints of hops or booze.
First sip reveals a lighter body than expected and fine yet fizzy carbonation. Slightly creamy feel on the texture duiring each sip.
Flavor is what I anticipated after the aroma.
Malt flavors with brown sugar, molassess, raisins and some red grape tang. I dont really fine any hops on this one, not sure if they were there fresh or not.
There is a little warming booze on the finish to remind me this is a pretty big b-wine.
I enjoy this beer as a malty big brew and would buy it again if that were an option.